Sacrifices and Second Chances
by DarkVisions19
Summary: Hermione looks back on the Battle of Hogwarts, and all that was lost, as she attends the funeral of a Weasley very close to her heart. Inspired by the chorus of If I Die Young by The Band Perry. O/S! Possible tissue warning? But not for the reasons you may think.


**A/n: ****Hello all (: I was in a particularly sad mood when I wrote this but I think it's a great first attempt in the Harry Potter world. Have fun!**

**Disclaimer: I am NOT J.K. Rowling no matter how many times I ask Santa for that privilege. The first italisized excerpt is straight out of Deathly Hallows but anything after that is my own personal plot. You'll figure it out...**

* * *

I walked quietly up the grassy slope, silent tears cascading down my cheeks. I kept my eyes locked on the casket being carried in front of me. When we reached our destination, I was jolted out of my daze by my realization that it was supposed to be an open casket ceremony. I didn't want to see him; it would make everything all the more real.

"Hermione?" Harry touched my shoulder, "It's time."

During Harry's speech, I walked up to the casket and closed my eyes. I let out a long sigh and slowly let my eyes drop down to the casket in front of me. I saw his body lying there, so still and pale. He was resting on top of the satin covered coffin, his shockingly ginger hair contrasting sharply with the white roses that surrounded his prone form. I looked out to the Black Lake as I ran my finger across the promise ring that was given to me.

"You should be here with us." I whispered, looking back down at the casket.

I stood stone still as several more people went up and spoke. I had to physically turn away when Mrs. Weasley went up. Her gut wrenching sobs were too much to bear as I fought the urge to be sick. Her son was _dead. _He was never coming back. I touched my promise ring, reveling in the comfort that it gave me despite my surroundings.

I let out a sigh of relief when the ceremony finished. I couldn't handle anymore of the memories and all consuming sadness. I felt Harry grab my hand as the casket was lowered into the ground. I pushed my face into his shoulder as I let the tears overtake me once again. My shoulders started shaking with the force of my sobs as the memories of that night came washing over me.

* * *

_Fred looked at Percy with glee._

"_You actually are joking, Perce… I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-"_

_The air exploded. They had been grouped together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and Percy; and in that fragment of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, the world was torn apart._

"_No – no – no!" someone was shouting, "No! Fred! No!"_

* * *

I clung to Harry as he attempted to comfort me through his own tears. There was nothing to be said that could make this better. We were all just going to have to begin the hard road to some kind of normalcy. It was going to take time to get back to the place we were in before the Battle of Hogwarts.

I squared my shoulders and wiped the tears from my eyes before making my rounds through the crowd and saying my good-byes. There was somewhere I had to be and I was determined to get there as quickly as possible.

* * *

I stumbled out of the fireplace and into the main lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I walked up to the receptionist area and waved to the Healer who was always on-call when I came to visit.

"Hello, Hermione!" she greeted me, "Today's a good day. Our patient has been up and about for a few hours now. You should be able to visit for quite a while because of the noticeable health improvements."

"Really?" I smiled, "That's fantastic news. Thank you."

I walked briskly down the hall before stopping in front of the closed door that I had visited so many times since the battle. Sighing quietly to myself at how long the day had been, I knocked softly on the door before entering. I couldn't help but smile slightly when I saw how absorbed he was in the muggle telly I had brought for him a few days ago, his fiery red hair disheveled from the extended periods of time in bed.

* * *

"_Percy?" I screamed, "Percy! Is Fred alright? Please! Please, tell me he's alright!" Tears flowed freely down my face as I made my way over to where I heard the shouting._

_I collapsed next to Percy, so close to falling apart when I saw Fred lying there in his arms. I grabbed his hand and held on tightly, not wanting to believe that I had lost him after fighting so hard to get back to him. _

"_He's breathing!" Percy laughed in relief, "Hermione, he's breathing!"_

"_Fred?" I shook his shoulder a bit, "Wake up for me, Fred. Let me see those eyes of yours."_

_It didn't take long before he began to stir and I could not have been more relieved. His eyes were wide and panicked as I tried to calm him down but all he did was shake me off. I frowned, concerned over what was going through his mind. _

_Finally he spoke in a low, raspy voice. "Ron. Pushed. Help him."_

_My eyes went wide with horror as the gravity of his words sank in. _Ron_, my best friend was somewhere in this rubble and we didn't even know if he was alive. _

"_Harry!" I screamed, "Ron. Where's Ron?"_

_As soon as I posed the question, Percy and Harry went scrambling through the remains of the wall that had collapsed, searching for Ron, while I stayed by Fred's side trying to keep him calm so he didn't injure himself further. _

_Several minutes passed before I heard a wail of absolute anguish coming from a few feet behind me. I whirled around as fast as I could, dreading the awful sight that I knew I was about to endure. Harry was kneeling on the ground, hands fisting his hair, staring at the broken and twisted body of our best friend. Percy just stared down at the scene in absolute heartbreak. I let out a strangled sob before turning back around, not able to stomach looking at Ron in that state. I clasped Fred's hand tightly to my chest as I cried, knowing that if Ron hadn't been there to push Fred out of the way, it would have been Fred's mangled body we cried over. And that thought just made me sob even more violently. _

* * *

I shook myself out of my dark thoughts before trying to catch his attention.

"Hey," I spoke softly, not wanting to startle him, "How are you feeling?"

He turned off the telly before turning to face me. He gave me that special grin of his before beckoning me to him by patting the empty space on his bed. I gave him a small smile before making my way to him. As soon as I was settled comfortably next to him, he grabbed my right hand and absentmindedly played with the ring he had given me.

"So?" I spoke once more, "How are you feeling?"

He smiled gently at me before replying, "I'm fine, love. Just a bit knackered."

"Merlin," I breathed, "You have no idea how good it feels to see you looking so much better. I honestly thought you were going to die on me, Fred Weasley."

He cupped my face and looked me in the eye, his expression solemn. My eyes welled with tears because I_ knew_ what he was thinking. If it weren't for Ron's sacrifice then he _would _have died on me. We wouldn't have this second chance to start a life together. And that was something he was going to have to live with every bloody day.

I brushed my fingers along his cheek, catching the lone tear that had escaped his watery eyes. I snuggled as close as to Fred as I possibly could, not wanting any distance between us.

"I love you," I whispered into his neck.

I felt him drop a kiss to the top of my head before he crushed me to his chest. My whole body shook with the strength of his sorrow.

"I love you, too." He whispered back, brokenly.

That's where we stayed; Intertwined in a hospital, attempting to mend our shattered souls, thinking of sacrifices and second chances.

* * *

**A/n: Did you LIKE it? Hmm?! You guys should love me for not killing off Fred. Unless, you're Fred haters but if that's the case, then why the bloody hell are you reading a Fred story? Anyway, I _am _part of the Twin Exchange. It's physically impossible for me to kill off Fred. There's just no way. Hope you enjoyed it!** **_See the pretty button down there? You should press it and review. _**


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